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When I arrived in Asti late one night a week before Christmas 2005, the first thing I did after dropping my bag at the hotel was search for some farinata. This baked pancake-like dish is made with chick pea flour, olive oil, salt and water and when baked in a wood fired oven, it's magic.

It's hard to recreate at home and no self-respecting Italian will tell you otherwise. But they have the luxury of popping out to buy this dish and we don't. So, I broke with that tradition and bought the perfect copper farinata pan in Chiavari, the Ligurian city that most agree has the best farinata anywhere, and I make it at home.

When I learned that Juan Urbieta at Ristorante Bartolotta also liked farinata, I attempted to coax him into adding it to the Pizzeria Piccola menu, without success. Farinata, he told me he believes, is too bland for the American palate. I won't question someone like Juan on this, but I disagree.

Anyway, as I said, I make this at home whenever possible and even if the results aren't what I'd get at Da Dino or Luchin's in Chiavari, I love it. And frankly, I've had some duff re-heated farinatas in Italian pizzerie, too, and mine is definitely better than that!

It's easy to make and it's a healthy (in moderation) mix of olive oil and protein-rich chick peas. Eat it piping hot.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups warm water
• 3 cups chick pea flour (available at Outpost, Whole Foods, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure:

Pour the water into a bowl and whisk in the chick pea flour and salt until it's smooth and all the lumps are out. Let is sit, covered, at room temperature for two to four hours. Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees (the hotter the better. If you have access to a wood-fired oven, that's better). Skim and foam off the top of the mixture, mix in the olive oil and pour it into the pan. Into the oven it goes for 25-35 minutes. Keep an eye on it toward the end to make sure it doesn't burn. Use a heavy duty pan that won't buckle under the heat or your batter won't be evenly distributed and one side will be too thin and burnt when the other side is too thick and uncooked. Cut your farinata and serve with salt and pepper.